The peaceful vibes at a Northeast Minneapolis CorePower Yoga studio vanished last weekend when a group of enraged students cornered staff in a tense political confrontation caught on camera.
At least 13 women, still clad in their workout gear, ambushed two female employees in the lobby to demand the company publicly condemn federal immigration agents.
The clash was sparked by rumors that corporate leadership had ordered the removal of an anti-ICE sign that had been hanging in the studio window.
Heather Anderson, a fifty-one-year-old longtime member who filmed the incident, led the charge by shouting at the staffers and accusing them of being complicit in federal crackdowns.
As the employees appeared visibly shaken and struggled to respond, the protesters snapped their fingers in approval and shouted that silence was deafening.
One staffer argued that they were being berated, but Anderson fired back that real berating is what their neighbors were currently experiencing during federal raids.
Comically, the entire six-minute shouting match took place while Lionel Richie’s hit song All Night Long played over the studio’s sound system.
The tension in the room reflects the boiling point currently felt across Minneapolis due to Operation Metro Surge, a massive federal immigration crackdown.
Public anger has surged following the recent deaths of two American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, during separate federal operations in the city.
The students argued that a major corporation like CorePower staying silent during such a crisis was unacceptable for a community focused on wellness and mindfulness.
The confrontation grew so heated that some yogis threatened to take their business elsewhere, claiming they could find a place to stretch that actually shared their values.
In the aftermath of the viral video, CorePower Yoga corporate initially took a hard line by banning Anderson and freezing the memberships of others who participated in the mob.
However, the Denver-based company eventually caved to the pressure and officially announced it would distribute approved anti-ICE signage to all of its locations. These new signs inform law enforcement that they are not allowed on the private property without a judicial warrant.
While Anderson remains permanently banned from the studio, she told reporters she has no regrets because her message clearly landed and forced a national corporation to take a stand.